Large lifts in the north-west and south-west corners of the building give access to the ground and first to fourth floors. Most reading rooms plus the IT Training Room, the Tea Room and the Assistive Technologies Room either open off the landings served by these lifts or can be reached from them via wide corridors. Access to the Microform Reading Room via the IT Training Room can be arranged by staff in the Commonwealth Room. Readers wishing to reach the Milstein Seminar Rooms, to which access can be arranged through the Milstein Exhibition Centre or via closed areas of the building, are advised to contact staff in advance.

Lifts in the north-east and south-east corners of the building and within the north and south fronts and north and south wings, which give access to the ground and first to sixth floors of the north wing, first to sixth floors of the north and south fronts and third to sixth floors of the south wing, are small (approximate internal dimensions 110 cm. long, 83 cm. wide; doorway 64 cm. wide) and have heavy doors.

Most reading rooms, the Tea Room and the Assistive Technologies Room are spacious and have movable furniture.

Some corridors and gangways in the open bookstacks on the north and south fronts and wings are narrow and occupied by reading tables and chairs. There are also some tight corners. If necessary, Library staff, especially those in the main Reading Room, are very happy to fetch volumes from those floors.

There are toilets for disabled readers on the first floor on the landings in the north-west (outside the Rare Books Reading Room) and south-west corners of the building and on the gallery above the Entrance Hall and on the third floor on the landings in the north-west (outside the Manuscripts Reading Room) and south-west (outside the Commonwealth Room) corners of the building. There is also a toilet for disabled readers in the MilsteinExhibition Centre.